With her deeply affecting and magical style,
Aimee Bender is truly an original voice. She has a large and devoted (okay, possibly rabid) following here at Powell's, so, of course, we were thrilled at the prospect of featuring her new novel,
The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake, as our 19th
Indiespensable selection.
Entertainment Weekly declares — and we wholeheartedly agree — "To curl up with an Aimee Bender story is to thank heaven you ever learned to read in the first place."
Jill read Lemon Cake first, calling it "an incredibly poignant and unique coming-of-age story that you won't be able to put down. My favorite book of the year so far." Kim and Megan loved it, as well, and with the kind cooperation of Doubleday, Bender's publisher, we designed our brightest and most eye-catching slipcase ever (primary colors!). Jill's interview with Bender, which you'll find in the included author cards, left us even more enamored, if that was even possible. (Editor's note: Read the Powells.com interview with Aimee Bender here.)
It seems as if the stars had aligned for this volume; we couldn't believe our ears when we heard that Doubleday is gearing up to publish a new novel by another of our favorite authors Myla Goldberg. The False Friend is the mysterious and deeply resonant story of childhood friends, the truths that we question, and the lies that we accept as truth. We're pleased to include an advance copy of this highly anticipated novel, over three months before its release!
Given Bender's gorgeous and salivation-inducing food descriptions, we thought it might be useful to include something to help wash it all down. Thus, we present coasters inspired by Bernard DeVoto's The Hour: A Cocktail Manifesto. Our friends over at Tin House Books recently published a handsome new volume of the 1950s classic, complete with an introduction by Daniel Handler. 
And, we're happy to report, DeVoto's words still prove an applicable and humorous treatise for the modern drinker... er, reader. Modern reader.
So, there you have it, the recipe for Indiespensable #19. A tasty installment, if we may say so ourselves. We hope you enjoy it. (If you do, feel free to tell us about it — you're in the right place!)
Sincerely,
The Indiespensable Team